'Possession is 9/10 of the law': Couple rescues abandoned friendly feline outside their apartment, only to be confronted by neighbor demanding "her pet" back, couple refuses to protect their new cat child

Author image for Blake Seidel
Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Sep 1, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

We know this may be controversial, but we had an indoor-outdoor cat when we were kids. It wasn't our choice; it was our parents' decision. We wouldn't do it today, but times were different back then. People were also declawing their cats regularly, and now, that's seen as a nearly taboo purractice. But even though Meow (yes, her name was Meow) spent a good amount of her time outdoors, we built a covered catio for her so she could sleep in peace and have a safe space that was only hers. Sometimes, we would sit in the catio and wait for her to come back so we could cuddle before bedtime.

But Meow's situation was very different than the one below. A couple found a seemingly abandoned stray cat outside their apartment complex, clearly not cared for. She was covered in fleas and skinny, so they took her in. They fed her, bathed her, and took her to the vet to get microchipped. Fast forward a month, and one of their neighbors confronts them about stealing her cat, demanding they give her back. The couple refused. If she took that long to realize her cat was gone, it wasn't really "her" cat in the first place. The cat is better off with them, safely indoors, and loved every single day.

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  • 01

    [Am I wrong] for not returning my neighbors cat?

    Cat on steps outside including 'If it took her that long and the cat was that neglected, you don't have her cat. You have your cat.'
    via Studio Turkey

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    I 24M and partner 23M found a stray cat outside our apartment complex. She was very friendly and let us pet her we decided to take her inside I waited about 2 weeks and no owner came foreword so we decided to keep her she was covered in fleas and
    via East-Purple6199
  • 03
    had scabs on her I got her vetted and microchipped (since she did not have one) in my name. About a month after finding her someone in the apartment complex approached me and claimed I had her cat
    via East-Purple6199
  • 04
    because she saw me petting her she stated she was an outside cat and she wanted her back. I feel since the cat was not cared for and really loves being inside (sleeping on the bed litter box trained etc) I should not have to give her back but part of me does feel guilty. A A?
    via East-Purple6199

  • We would get worried if we didn't see Meow after we came home from school, which happened daily. We can't imagine not noticing her being gone for a whole month. On cold nights, we would take her inside and stay with her in the bathroom until the morning. This woman didn't love her cat very much if she didn't think to check on her every day.

  • 05
    Cat resting on chair
    via liliy2025 from Pixabay

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 06
    pitizenlyn ⚫ 6h ago If it took her that long and the cat was that neglected, you don't have her cat. You have your cat.
    via pitizenlyn
  • 07
    Graphite 57 6h ago Just get your neighbour to prove previous ownership by the scanning of the chip.. Sure, the cat may have technically been theirs at some stage, but it was, by your admission, clearly ignored and not given proper care.
    via Graphite57
  • 08
    We also have a cat that was a stray, appeared on the roof of various neighbours houses and sheds looking into our yard 7 years ago, we saw her for perhaps a couple of weeks at random moments before she approached us on the ground, she's hardly left the yard since.. she was skinny and had been poorly treated, she's happy now.
    via Graphite57
  • 09
    Cat outside
    via Gwengoat

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 10
    Francie1966 · 6h ago Keep the cat. Tell the neighbor to kick rocks.
    via Francie1966
  • 11
    Proud Texan1971 6h ago It's your cat. She was neglecting it. And possession is 9/10 of the law.
    via ProudTexan1971
  • 12
    Reasonable-Bad-769 6h ago . NTA. Tell her you have no idea what she's talking about. Tell her you'd be happy to meet her at your let's and have them scan the microchip to prove your ownership. Period. Don't engage beyond that.
    via Reasonable-Bad-769

  • Exactly. She has no proof that the cat was hers if it was never microchipped. This usually means that the cat probably wasn't spayed either, which also is a sign of improper ownership. The cat is safer now, indoors, with pawrents that will dote on her every day.

  • 13
    Don't defend, justify or argue or admit anything. Why? Because an outside cat that is not fed or cared for, covered in fleas and scabs where the "owner" takes a month to notice their disappearance IS a stray, one you rescued. End of story.
    via Reasonable-Bad-769
  • 14
    PetalRaven • 5h ago Dude, NTA. If that cat was truly theirs, they would've. looked for her in those two weeks. And seriously, an outside cat covered in fleas and scabs? Nah man, that ain't cool. No chip either, so in my books, you're her legit owner
    via PetalRaven
  • 15
    now. Look after her well. She's found herself a home where she's loved, not just dumped outside. Definitely stick to your guns; that fur baby deserves better.
    via PetalRaven
  • 16
    exhausted247365 5h ago NTA. I did this once. After $800 in vet bills, I considered that cat to be mine. Pro Tip: Don't fight the person. Just deny having the cat. What cat?
    via exhausted247365
  • 17
    Hidden Aspie 6h ago You have taken the cat to the vet, so you have documented proof that the cat was neglected. Also, unless the neighbor has been taking it to the vet as well (highly doubtful) she would have a hard time proving it was ever hers.
    via HiddenAspie
  • 18
    If she still wants to put up a fight you can tell her that if she can prove it is hers then she will need to reimburse you for the vet care, that because the vet documented the obvious neglect that she cannot claim that the vet care was unnecessary, and as such she could get fined for animal neglect or mistreatment for allowing "her" cat to get to such a bad condition.
    via HiddenAspie
  • 19
    Plus cats' personalities are such that if it wanted to get out and leave your house it would be extremely obvious. That's your cat, (CDS) it just arrived to the apartment complex long before you did.
    via HiddenAspie
  • 20
    Which_Incident_9283.5h ago Don't you dare give that kitty to her!! She left the poor thing outside, covered in fleas and scabs, no microchip, no collar, nothing!! This constitutes abe and she never came looking for her. You took her in, gave her love, got her all
    via Which_Incident_9283
  • 21
    cleaned up, took her to the vet AND microchipped her. She is registered to you and now, in the eyes of the law, that is your cat!! If she causes a stink get the vet records from your vet as well as the registration for the microchip.
    via Which_Incident_9283
  • 22
    scooter3377 • 1h ago . What proof does she have that it is her cat? Probably none and if it was outdoors she didn't care enough to even take pics of it. She can kick rocks. It's your cat now and don't you dare give it back. You did your due diligence it sounds like to find the owner and she didn't come forward immediately with proof of ownership.
    via scooter3377
  • 23
    Ruebee90 5h ago NTA! The cat was not taken care of properly and not microchipped.
    via @
  • 24
    creepinitreal1994 • 2h ago . The fact that this woman didn't notice her cat gone for over a month, put in zero effort to find the cat, and it was neglected... I highly doubt she's going to put in the effort, energy, or the money to take OP to court for this.
    via @
  • 25
    Dis_engaged 23 • 2h ago NTA. What you found was an abandoned cat. With no chip or tag, how can the alleged previous owner claim her? Enjoy your new kitty.
    via @

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stray cats neighbors adoption animal rescue adopted feline cat rescue forever home indoor cat Cats loving animals rescue
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